Friday, November 02, 2012

Bandaloop in Mint Plaza

At Thursday lunchtime, the aerial dance company Bandaloop gave a half-hour show, rapelling down the facade of an 8-story building in Mint Plaza. 6 dancers performed 4 pieces, accompanied by mellow recorded music. The dancers are usually at a right angle to the face of the building, & I started to perceive them as standing on a flat surface, so when they pushed away from the building, they appeared to fly, float, & tumble in the air. They moved gracefully & obviously enjoyed themselves up there. The performance felt exuberant & fearless.

The small but enthusiastic crowd watching was young & hip. Several recorded the performance with iPads. Bandaloop's Artistic Director Amelia Rudolph addressed us between dances & encouraged us to check out the company's workshops, claiming, "You can all do this!" Afterward, I was interviewed by a woman with a video camera who asked how the performance made me feel.